A/N OH MY GOSH! I actually updated quickly, it's a miracle. I guess I was lying a few chapters ago when I said there was only a few chapters left, because everything is taking more writing to get out than I thought. Anyway, hope you like it.

Chapter 18

The anger I could see in his eyes had me taking a step back, which unfortunately put me right against a wall. With nowhere to go I decided to just stand tall and see how things played out.

Edward slowly walked towards me, still not saying a word, but every heavy footfall chipped away at my nerve. He had never struck me, never hurt me physically, but I still flinched rather dramatically when he raised his hand.

He scoffed, moving said hand through his hair and scowling at me.

"You think I'm going to hit you Bella?" He asked looking at me in a mixture of disbelief and disgust. "That seems really fair, doesn't it? You are the one who cheats on me and destroys our marriage, yet I'd become the monster for beating a woman." He growled, grabbing his hair now with both hands, a sign of extreme stress I'd come to recognize years ago.

"Edward." I spoke softly, hoping to calm him down a bit. He began pacing, taking on the look of a caged animal and it sent my danger instincts into high alert. "I realize how unfair I've been to you. I wouldn't expect you to just accept things and move on, but please, at least, know that I didn't want to hurt you. If there was another way, I would have taken it." I begged, wanting to console him somehow.

"There was another way, Bella!" He shouted, stopping abruptly to face me. "You could have stayed. You even said you still love me! We could have moved away, started fresh…" He began rambling, but I cut him off.

"I wouldn't have been happy Edward. That wasn't the life for me. This…" I spoke, gesturing around me, "this is what want, what I love."

"A gallery? But I asked you and you said no! You said you were happy staying home!" He rebutted, returning to his spot just in front of me.

"It's not just the gallery, Edward, it's the city, the freedom, and most importantly, it's Alice. I love her in a way I'd never known was possible before. There's no going back from that. I couldn't be happy with you again knowing what I could have." I explained, pleading for his understanding, but remaining firm in my stance. My resolve was set, he couldn't break me.

"That's pretty selfish of you." He stated, glaring at me. I returned the look two-fold.

"Oh, and I suppose you asking me to put aside my happiness and stay with you isn't selfish?" I snorted, placing a hand on my hip. He scoffed again, looking away, and we both stood there in a silent stalemate. Finally I'd had enough. "Look, Edward, it's getting late. Neither of us are in a state where we can continue to talk about this civilly. I don't want us to become one of those couples that have to talk to each other through their lawyers, so I think we should leave it for tonight. Please just, go home and calm down." I said as gently as I could. Apparently, Edward didn't care for this suggestion.

"Where do you get off kicking me out? Huh? What? Are you expecting your little whore soon? Need to go change into some slutty clothes for her?" He hissed.

"Get out." I snarled, glaring so intensely that it should have burned a hole into his skull. I can't believe he just said that. "GET THE FUCK OUT!" I yelled, flinging the door open and pointing outside when he didn't move.

"Wow, Bella. You have one affair and suddenly you're talking like white trash." Edward chuckled bitterly, but did move towards the exit. I wasn't even going to touch that hypocritical statement.

"Leave." I reiterated, my anger reaching a boiling point. I was about to become the wife who not only cheated on her husband, but also beat his ass into the ground.

Edward shook his head and gave one last condescending look before finally going out the door, slamming it behind him.

I took a deep breath, stamping my foot in frustration. This wasn't the Edward I knew. He was just…UGH! I didn't even want to think about him anymore. So in a very mature move I ran upstairs and put on the angriest music I owned. I couldn't ever remember buying a Papa Roach cd. Maybe it was Alice's? Either way, it helped me work out my anger while doing all the dishes by hand.

A couple hours later, I heard the downstairs door and knew that Alice was home. I had now moved into my self-pity party, so Papa Roach and dishes had been replaced by Norah Jones and a glass of wine. I looked up when the door of our apartment swung open to reveal a surprised Alice holding a garment bag in one hand and her purse in another.

She took one look at me and dropped both, rushing over to the oversized chair I was wallowing in, and kneeling on the floor next to me. She carefully removed my glass of wine and took both my hands in hers.

"What's wrong, Momma?" I couldn't help the smile that snuck out at my new nickname. She thought it was funny, since I always called her baby. Normally it would be preceded by something like sexy or big (when she was being a brat). The love and worry in her eyes was just what I needed to kick me out of the 'woe is me' state. With a smile, I pulled her up until she was in my lap.

"Nothing a little Alice loving can't fix." I grinned, wiggling my eyebrows cheekily, as I'd seen Emmett do hundreds of times before. She was hesitant at first to believe me, but must have seen what she needed, because she jumped off my lap.

"Great! Wait till you see my costume for the play! Rachel let me bring it home to show you, but no ripping!" She said narrowing her eyes and pointing a finger at me. I laughed, pulling myself out of the chair and walking towards her. I was actually curious to see what she'd be wearing, since she'd been so tight-lipped about her part. All I knew is that she was a background character of some sort and not one of the main actors, but she did have a few lines still and a group dance scene, apparently. "Go and sit on the bed, I'll just be a minute." She called, giggling as she ran into the bathroom.

I chuckled quietly to myself, lapping up her excitement, hoping that I'd be doing that literally soon. About ten minutes later, Alice poked her head around the door, and I could see she had put on some pretty heavy make-up. I guess she was going all out. Her eyelashes were long and lush, but it was the rouge on her cheeks that really stood out.

"Ready?" She asked, almost shyly, and I laughed.

"Come on out, baby! I'm excited to see!" I said. She grinned slyly, before pulling the door open, and I swear my eyes popped out.

HO-LY SHIT!

Her outfit, was, hot as fuck. That's about the only way I could describe it. She had on a black corset with some light pink ribbons running through it, looking like a sinful angel. She was wearing some kind of leotard underneath with black fishnet stockings and five inch heels. I felt like a cartoon, whose tongue rolled out of their mouth and across the floor. She had tamed her hair somewhat and put a little pink bow in it, adding a little more innocence into the look.

My sweaty hands were clutching the bedspread for dear life, because I knew if I let go, that costume wouldn't survive. I wanted her. Oh GOD, how I wanted her.

"You like?" She asked, teasing me as she spun slowly in a circle, showing off her perfect little ass. My whole body was leaning forward, wanting to get closer.

"Alice?" I asked, my voice hoarse from both my early crying and my desire now. "What exactly is your character?" I finally managed to get out, not ceasing the roving my eyes were doing of her body. She looked smug as she sauntered closer to the bed, stopping between my legs.

"A bar wench." She said sighing dramatically. "I'm the newest one, virtue still intact." She purred, dragging her hands through my hair until I finally lifted my head enough to meet her eyes. "Want to take care of that for me?" She asked directly, in a honey smooth voice, smirking when I choked on my own saliva. Yeah, I know. I'm super smooth.

It didn't take me long to snap out of it though and realize just what I had in front of me. So with the sexiest growl I could manage, I threw her onto the bed by her hips and dove on top of her, meeting her mouth hungrily. Once a bit of my need to taste her was quenched I pulled back, taking in her sinful appearance again.

"By the end of the night, honey, you'll be a well used woman." I warned lowly, grabbing both her arms and pinning them over her head.

"Mmm, looking forward to it." She purred, meeting my gaze with darkened eyes. My whole body shuddered at her look and I dipped my head, smothering her collarbone in kisses.

Unfortunately, Alice was serious about not messing up her costume, so that slowed me down a bit, but soon enough I had her laid out before me for the taking, nothing but my hands covering her body.

"Ohhh, Momma, I love the way you touch me." She whispered, stomach clenching as I ran my fingers down it. Lifting her legs behind the knees I placed her thighs on my shoulders and she locked her ankles behind my neck. Despite her desperate pleas, I held off, staying away from the moist flesh calling to me, instead turning my head to lay kisses along her inner thigh. "Bellllla." She groaned, and I smiled against her skin. She loved to tease, but hated to be a victim.

"I'm just being gentle baby. After all, loosing ones virtue should be special right?" I said smirking as she glared at me.

"NO. I don't want to play anymore. I'm just Alice. Please! Just fuck me." She whined, pushing her hot center up towards me. I smiled, thrusting my body and her thighs forward, while driving my middle finger into her.

"Like that, baby? Is that what you want." I said roughly, punctuating the word with another hard thrust, this time with two fingers. A glorious moan ripped from her lips and pride and pleasure pulsed through my body. I continued the deep movements, leaning down to compliment them with soft sucking at her neck and nipples. Alice clawed at my skin as my body moved over her, thrusting in time with my hand. Sweat began glistening on her skin as I moved harder, faster, against her, loving the way she panted into my neck.

"B-bella!" Alice gasped, and I knew she was close.

"What? Are you going to come?" I growled softly, into her ear.

"Uh huh." She whimpered, struggling as her body started to jerk beneath me.

"Good girl. Come into my hand, baby." I purred back at her, and a strangled scream broke from her mouth and her whole body stiffened, arching up against me before trembling beneath my continued movements. She finally settled, still breathing heavily as I brought my hand up between us. I wasn't terribly surprised when she immediately took it into her mouth. She had acquired a strange kind of affinity for female cum, even her own, but it was still sexy when she sucked each finger into her mouth, moaning at the taste.

"Wow!" She breathed, falling back against a pillow and snuggling against me. I giggled a little at the awed expression on her face. "I think you were the one who lost their virtue tonight, Momma. That was hot as fuck!"

So that's where I'd picked up that phrase! I didn't have much time for reflection, though, because as soon as she'd had a minute to catch her breath Alice was very enthusiastic about returning the favor.

The night of the dinner party and my opening, I was more or less running around like a headless chicken while Alice seemed caught between soothing me and laughing at my distress.

I was dressed in a formal, but not restrictive black gown, while Alice wore a dark green piece with a black belt. I had put her to work putting together the appetizers, while I tried to juggle basting the pork roast and finishing the potatoes au gratin dish. I really hoped Gemma's girlfriend wasn't a vegetarian. Alice, and Rachel, didn't eat pork, which is why I made her favorite potatoes. Jasper and Rose both loved my pork dish, which is why I made that. And Emmett ate everything. The only ones I didn't know about for sure were Gemma, Melanie, and Avery, which is why I was now freaking out about whether I should have made something else just in case.

"Bella, relax." Alice sung happily, wrapping me in a hug from behind. "Everything is going to be perfect. The gallery looks great, and everyone will love your dinner."

"Oh! The gallery! I need to…"

"No!" Alice said, grabbing my escaping form around the waist and pushing me against our island counter. "Stay!" She said, playfully scolding me with a finger. "See! I could totally handle a puppy!" She smirked when I rolled my eyes at her bringing up that argument again.

Crossing my arms, I huffed dramatically, but she wouldn't have that. She pulled my limbs apart and inserted herself, wrapping them back around her neck and leaning up to kiss me.

"Seriously." She said, standing on her tip toes so she was looking straight into my eyes. "Everything will be fine. Just enjoy it. This is your night." She smiled lovingly and kissed my cheek. She was so sweet, that it swept most of the stress right out of me and I slumped against the counter, pulling her tighter against me, so her head was tucked under my chin.

"I love you Ali, thank you." I said sincerely, kissing her hair.

We barely had a moment to ourselves before Emmett's voice rang out through the house. I sighed, very much regretting my decision to give Rose a key.

"We're in here!" Alice laughed, not bothering to move out of my arms even when a smiling Rose and Emmett came around the corner and into view.

"Aww, it's like a little lesbian cooking show in here!" My brother in law laughed, barely acknowledging Rose's punch to his arm. I glared at him, pulling the apron off and throwing it on the counter before moving over to hug them both with Alice following suit.

"Where's Jasper?" I asked, expecting him to arrive with them. Rose rolled her eyes.

"He was taking too long, so we left without him." She said, smiling a little mischievously.

"Rosalie!" I chastised, trying not to laugh. She just shrugged, while our other-halves laughed beside us.

"What? I left him a car. He knows how to get here. It's his own fault for waiting so long to shower!" She stated frowning, apparently at the memory of her brother.

"Yeah, he knows Rosie wasn't the most patient person before, but I think her pregnancy hormones are starting to kick in, cause she's downright scary when she has to wait now." Emmett added, wrapping an arm around his glaring wife. She moved out of his embrace, huffing as she went to sit on the couch. "Aww come on, Rose-baby. You know I was just kidding…right?" Emmett groveled following after his wife and leaving Alice and I chuckling at him. Maybe tonight would be fun after all.